People Buffy Summers Never Dressed Up As
by StarEyed2
Summary: YAHF. A series of drabbles based on people Buffy could have dressed up as on Halloween, but didn't.
1. Bellatrix Lestrange

**Summary:** A collection of drabbles based on people Buffy Summers could have dressed up as on Halloween, but didn't.

Disclaimer: I don't own Buffy The Vampire Slayer or any other series, book or character that may appear here. In other words if you recognise it I don't own it. Nor am I making any money off it.

**AN:** These were written for fun when my muses were refusing to co-operate on my longer stories. One or two of them may eventually become a longer story, but I doubt it.

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* * *

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**Bellatrix Lestrange**

_Had she accidentally apparated again?_ Bellatrix wondered, being in one of her more lucid moments when she realised that her control of both mind and magic had been lacking since she escaped… that place.

She shrugged unconcerned as the coherent moment passed and began to laugh gleefully as screams went up around her. Who cared? She was unharmed and there was fun to be had. Maybe baby Potter was here? Or the Longbottom boy?

"Here Potter," she called out in a sing-song voice. "Here, ickle-baby Potter. Come out, come out, wherever you are. Come out to play-ay."

Almost absently she cast a killing curse at the unknown little creature that tried to attack her before continuing on her way, casting crucios and the occasional Avada Kedavra at random on humans and creatures alike and laughing delightedly as three of the title monsters tore a screaming child apart. Wherever she was it was fun.

* * *

When the spell ended Buffy fell to her knees and vomited. Why did she let Xander persuade them to go as the bad guys? 


	2. Daimakaicho Hild

**Daimakaicho Hild**

The white haired woman watched the chaos below her with violet eyes that glittered with amusement. It hadn't taken long for Hild, the supreme ruler of Nifelheim, what mortals called Hell, to realise what had happened. The stink of chaos magic was all too clear to a being who had made it her life's work to sow chaos among the mortal realms.

Normally she would have destroyed the mortal who had the gall to involve Her in such a petty little scheme but the circumstances were just too good to waste. This realm had far too many Powers of Order, and no major Ruler of Chaos to counter them. She would take great enjoyment in correcting that.

And the tool she would use to do so couldn't be more appealing.

She could already feel the body she inhabited adjusting to her presence, and the power she brought with her. Only a few minutes longer and the girl would wake to find that she was a Being of Chaos far stronger than any the local Powers of Order had used her as a tool to fight. In fact she would rival Hild herself, and the Daimakaicho was already taking steps to ensure that enough of her own memories and attitudes would remain that should the two ever meet it would be as allies, and not as enemies.

Ten minutes later a burst of light spread across the town, the spell ending in its wake, and Buffy Summers fell to the ground clutching her head as she tried to assimilate memories spanning the life of a universe, a crimson six pointed star blazing on her forehead.


	3. Setsuna Meioh

**Setsuna Meioh**

Garnet coloured eyes studied the chaos in front of her carefully. She had no idea how she got here – the last thing she remembered was using her forbidden attack – but that didn't hinder her analysis of the situation.

The spells she cast clearly showed that the youma in front of her were of the possession type. Underneath those hideous shells were normal people and judging by the size they were mostly children.

She gripped her staff tighter, inwardly sickened by the carnage she was about to inflict, although none of it showed on her face. Individually the youma were no threat, but there were a lot of them and they would cause considerable damage to the civilian population if left unchecked.

Unfortunately she lacked her princesses healing abilities, which left only one option. It was a situation she had faced before, both during the Silver Millennium and in the time since, but it never got any easier. Yet more blood to stain her hands in the course of fulfilling her sworn duty.

She lifted her staff and spoke in a hoarse whisper, ignoring the tear that trickled down her cheek. "Dead Scream."

* * *

**AN:** Ouch. This came off a bit darker than I expected. Then again, given that at the time this is set Pluto, Neptune and Uranus were perfectly willing to kill Hotaru, a fellow Senshi, in order to stop the deathbusters I can easily see her being this ruthless, even if she ended up hating herself for it. 


	4. Jolinar of Malkshur

**Jolinar of Malkshur**

The last thing she remembered was trying desperately to shield Samantha Carter as the Ashrak's weapon bored into her, breaking down the bonds that held her body together.

The sudden cessation of agony left her momentarily disorientated, and it took her several minutes to realise that not only was she no longer dying, but her current host was definitely not Samantha.

The body she inhabited was younger, and surprisingly powerful for its size, but while most of her memories were accessible the girl's mind seemed to be…asleep, for lack of a better term. She had never experienced anything like it and a part of her wondered if this was what it was like for her previous hosts on the rare occasions that she had been forced into hibernation.

She cringed inwardly, as one thing became clear. Deliberately or not she found herself compounding her original error with Samantha by taking another host without permission.

It was this sense of guilt that compelled her to help Willow. She was more inclined to think this a result of some unknown technology than the magic the girl claimed but one thing was clear, oblivion was preferable to this continuing disregard of the Tok'ra's deepest beliefs. She was almost relieved when the idol that her host's mentor claimed was the focus of the 'spell' shattered.

Who the hell are you? An angry mental voice demanded.

To quote Colonel O'Neill; Oh crap! This was not her day.


	5. Amanda Montrose

**Amanda Montrose (Highlander)**

In a thousand years of life she had seen a lot of things. Wars, famines, plagues, revolutions, witches and even the occasional demon. But going from breaking and entering to standing in the middle of a street full of miniature monsters was a new one.

Drawing her sword she idly wished that the Old Man was here, or maybe Cassandra. They might know more about what was happening.

She groaned as she felt two familiar buzzes accompanied by a woman's enraged cry and a man's yell of pain.

Talk about be careful what you wished for.

Then again…

"I wish I had that diamond necklace I saw last month. The one someone else stole before I could."

…

"Damn."


	6. Galadriel

**Galadriel (Lord of the Rings)**

One moment she had been on board the ship, watching the mist roll back as Valinor was revealed, her first glimpse of her birthplace in over two Ages.

The next moment she was here, and wherever here was it was definitely _not_ the Blessed Realm. She hadn't felt such a miasma of evil since the First Age. It was endemic, saturating the very air she breathed.

Contrarily most of the demons running around didn't feel as if they were themselves truly evil. It was more as if something were controlling them.

A light caught her eye, drawing her away from puzzled thoughts. Lifting her hand she saw Nenya flaring brightly as it had not since the One was destroyed, restored to its full power.

Not going to question such a gift when she needed it so badly – although she hoped this didn't mean the One Ring had returned – she drew upon its power and acted.


	7. River Tam

**River Tam (Firefly)**

"Rain's come and everyone's left," River muttered. "Wearing people like clothes."

"Great," Cordelia muttered. "Buffy's gone crazy…er."

River ignored the other girl, listening to the voice that whispered in her head. She was used to hearing voices that no one else could but this one was different. It belonged to her, or she belonged to it. She wasn't sure which.

"Slayer says to find Giles," she offered.

"Who's Giles?" the soldier asked. He reminded her of Mal, only the Mal-That-Was she saw in his memories not Mal-That-Is.

She shrugged, staring at the pictures on the wall, where the girl that was and wasn't her smiled happily.

"The school librarian?" Cordelia asked. "Why him?"

"Slayer says."

"River is usually right about such things," Inara-Who-Wasn't-Inara offered. "We should listen to her."

"Library it is," Cordelia conceded.


	8. Kiima

**AN:** For Sean Malloy-1 who suggested a crossover with Ranma ½.

For those who are less familiar with Ranma ½ Kiima is a minor character who appears only in the last two volumes of the manga. She is one of the winged people of Ho'o peak.

* * *

**Kiima (Ranma 1/2)**

"THOUSAND BIRD WING SLICE!"

"Could you stop doing that?!" an exasperated voice asked a moment later, looking at the bleeding and unconscious child-demons lying on the ground. "The ghost said they were kids under those costumes. You're going to kill one of them."

"What would you have me do?" Kiima asked impatiently, cursing the luck that had gotten her stuck with the overly sentimental landling. "They are far stronger than I am. To take them on in hand-to-hand combat would be foolish."

"Can't you use less lethal techniques?"

The Phoenix woman glared at him.

"Look, why don't you fly ahead and act as a scout?" he suggested in an effort to placate her.

"Do I look like an owl?"

"Huh?"

"I am night-blind you fool! I can't fly in the dark!"

Her companion decided that remaining silent was probably the best course of action.

Kiima's glare lessened slightly as he offered no further challenge to her authority. "Come. We must find this _Giles_ the ghost spoke of."

The sooner they broke this spell the sooner she could return to her mission and retrieve the map of Jusenkyo from the guide's daughter. And the sooner she could get away from this pest.

-----

Buffy blinked rapidly, hoping her vision would improve. It did no good – she still couldn't see a thing through the darkness.

She rustled her wings irritably then froze as she realised what she was doing.

"Umm….guys? I think we have a problem."

* * *

**AN2:** Kiima has spent the last two days chasing a small girl across China in the company of two soldiers only a step above 'idiot'. She then finds herself being attacked by miniature demons alongside another soldier (this one a landling) and she can't even fly because it's too dark to see where she is going. Needless to say she is not in a good mood, and Soldier Xander is catching the brunt of it. 


	9. Teyla Emmagan

**AN:** Not entirely happy with this one, but it'll do, I suppose. Enjoy.

**Teyla Emmagan (Stargate Atlantis)**

These vampires, Teyla decided, were very much like the Wraith. She could even sense them as if they were Wraith, although the one called Willow informed her that this was a trait of the body she inhabited, not a result of her own abilities.

The body she inhabited. Three years ago, before she came to Atlantis, that would have seemed an impossible concept. How could she inhabit any body but her own? Since then, however, she had been twice possessed by a Wraith, and seen one of her teammates share his body with another Atlantean. It was still a strange concept but no longer beyond belief.

It was odd, though, that she couldn't even sense the other's presence. Would this girl experience the same thing as she had when the Wraith Queen took control of her? Would she wake without any memory of the last few hours?

She lashed out with her sticks, knocking another of the little monsters unconscious. They would wake with nothing more than a sore head but she hoped Willow fixed this soon. The precision necessary to render her foes unconscious without harming them was tiring and not something she was used to. With the Wraith one either ran or, if that was impossible, went for the kill. There was no in between, as John would say.


	10. Moraine Damodred

**Moraine Damodred (Wheel of Time)**

Unlike her companions Moraine felt no need to descend into the mass of miniature Shadowspawn. In fact she was far more useful if she _didn't_. Up on top of the pile of crates she could se the entire fight, making it far easier to bind the combatants with weaves of air.

She was so engrossed in picking her next targets, starting a new weave as quickly as she could tie off the last one, that she didn't notice the pale haired Shadowspawn until her was almost upon her. Lan would scold her for being so inattentive towards her surroundings.

The vampire smirked as he approached, Moraine backing off as he did so. "Look at you," he said. "All alone. Poor lost little lamb."

She returned the smirk as she stopped backing away, her new weave complete.

-----

Running out of the warehouse, slapping at the smouldering patches on his clothes as he did so, Spike was almost glad for the return of the Slayer. That noblewoman was _scary_.

-----

Buffy ran through a new yet familiar mental exercise. A rosebud opened and she pushed aside the pleasure that followed as she embraced _Saidar_, focusing on the next step.

A simple weave, fire and air, and a ball of fire bloomed above her hand.

"Cool."


	11. Astaroshe Asran

**Astaroshe Asran (Trinity Blood)**

Astaroshe glared at the bleached blonde leading the attacking horde. He reminded her entirely too much of Enderle. It was people like him that gave all Methuselah a bad name.

"Can you handle the little ones?" she asked her companions quietly. When they nodded she activated her spear.

"I am Astaroshe Asran, Duchess of Kiev. In the name of the Empress of the True Human Race prepare to die!"

Leaping over their heads she landed amongst the small core of genuine vampires that accompanied the possessed children, glowing blue spear whirling in an incredible show of dexterity.

After the first few combusted the rest broke and ran, leaving a slightly puzzled Astaroshe standing in the midst of a rather large empty space. Methuselah did not normally turn to dust when killed.

"That should not have happened," she stated just before the spell ended.

* * *

"Side effects?" Giles asked in apprehension. Given that a purple haired Willow was standing beside a literally blue Xander this was somewhat understandable.

"I turn into a cat when hit with cold water," Willow informed him, while Xander disappeared in a puff off smoke to reappear hanging from the ceiling from his tail.

Giles looked towards his Slayer, who was standing in one of the darker corners of the library.

Buffy smiled nervously, exposing slight fangs, and raised a heavily bandaged right hand. "I started to burn when I opened the curtains. I had to get here through the sewers."

"Oh dear."


	12. Susan Sto Helit

**Susan Sto Helit (Discworld)**

Over the years Susan had grown accustomed to strange situations. That didn't mean that she liked them but when you're the granddaughter of Death and partly immortal normal was apparently too much to expect. Usually, however, she had more warning. Things tended to become a little strange before they became a lot strange.

She eyed the rampaging hordes of malformed creatures. This definitely qualified as a lot strange.

"You said they're children?" she asked her companion.

He nodded.

"Right." Children she could deal with, it was her day job after all. She strode forward, her hair rearranging itself from its default messy state into a neat bun. "STOP THAT THIS INSTANT."

Such was the power of THE VOICE that all around her stopped in mid motion, humans and monsters alike.

"I want this mess tidied, now. No one goes home until this street is spotless."

"Yes Miss Susan," came the reply, blurted out without conscious thought on behalf of the listeners.

Susan smiled.


	13. Hyuuga Hinata

**Hyuuga Hinata (Naruto)**

* * *

"Hinata!"

The girl he had called out to smiled in relief. "Naruto-kun, Sakura-san." A swift strike knocked out her opponent and she moved to join the other two ninja and their strangely dressed companion. "Do you know what's going on?"

"According to Cordelia-san it's some kind of transformation jutsu," Sakura explained. "Far more solid than henge no jutsu, however, and coupled with a genjutsu that makes the victims believe they are the beings they henge into," Sakura explained. "We need to locate the caster."

Hinata's eyes widened in shock. While genjutsu wasn't her speciality she had trained for years under a genjutsu mistress, and had some idea how complex a jutsu with those effects would have to be.

"T…there's a chakra trail leading that way," she offered, pointing behind her and to her left, the bulging veins around her eyes indicating her active byakugan.

"Let's go then!" Naruto exclaimed as Sakura rolled her eyes at his antics.

"Hai."

* * *

Giles cleaned his glasses, gathering time to think, as he looked at the group of teenagers before him.

His normally confident slayer twiddled her fingers nervously, pupiless, pale lavender eyes downcast, then blushed slightly as Xander placed a hand over her to still them, grinning foxily up at the Watcher.

On his other side Willow sat smiling, her once red hair now bright pink.

All three wore a metal plate marked with a spiral leaf symbol somewhere on their persons and carried numerous weapons. As a group they were alert, dangerous, a noticeable change from their usual demeanour.

"Oh dear."

* * *

**AN**: It's been a long time coming but this idea came to me last night and wouldn't let me sleep until I wrote it. Thank god today's Saturday and I don't have to get up early!

I apologise for any errors on characterisation. Although this is suposed to be set a few years post time skip I've only actually watched Naruto up to the middle of the Chuunin exam arc.

Naruto and Hinata's interaction is based on them having some sort of relationship, but not for long enough for Hinata to get over blushing when Naruto show affection.


	14. Bariss Offee

**AN:** In response to a comment in one of the reviews for the last chapter - there's now a challenge at the bottom my profile for anyone who would like to continue one of these ficlets.

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**Bariss Offee (Star Wars)**

Buffy scowled as someone grabbed the dress she had been eying before she could.

"What about this one?" Xander asked, indicating a long black dress and matching cloak. "Stylish, and kick ass."

She grimaced, but didn't see anything else remotely like what she wanted.

"Who's it for?"

Xander grinned, knowing he had won, while unnoticed in the background a chaos mage decided to add a little extra to that costume.

----------

The Force almost screamed at her, the Dark Side surrounding her. It was only a lifetimes worth of Jedi discipline that enabled Bariss Offee to keep down her most recent meal, even as instincts honed over three years of war had her diving for the nearest cover, mind roiling in confusion.

She had been dying. She _remembered_ dying, the split second realisation that she had been betrayed by the clones she led before weapons fired all around her. Feeling, even as everything else faded, the breaking of the remnants of the master-padawan bond as light-years away Master Unduli met her own end.

And then she was here, a place absolutely saturated with the Dark Side, with apparently berserk aliens of unknown species surrounding her.

"Buffy! Thank god!"

She stared in shock at the… well, the only thing she could liken it to were the old stories of Force Apparitions.

----------

Had it not been for the fact that the face staring back at her in the mirror wasn't her own Bariss would have dismissed the girl's story about magic and people turning into their costumes as the superstitions of a primitive culture trying to explain the acts of a Dark Jedi. The looming presence of the Dark Side certainly seemed to support that theory, if not the presence of an actual Sith.

The evidence in the mirror, however, seemed to indicate that the tale she was told might not be purely superstition. The arrival of a man with absolutely no presence in the Force (a truly disturbing feeling, or more accurately lack thereof) just clinched it. Fortunately the solution appeared to be much the same as if it had been a Dark Jedi she was dealing with – find the source and deal with it.

----------

Buffy collapsed as she tried to integrate two conflicting sets of memories.

A small part of her knew that the Jedi were never real, that Star Wars was just a series of movies.

It didn't stop the pain upon realising that the people that she…Bariss… had grown up with, her _family_ were dead, her Master was dead and someone she had considered a friend had been responsible for many of those deaths, that Anakin had killed younglings and gone on to become a Sith Lord.

_Bariss' family,_ the small corner of her mind insisted._ You're Buffy. Star Wars isn't real._

But it was hard to believe when she could feel the Force around her, feel the Darkness that could only be the Hellmouth as she never had before.

She clung desperately to the familiar presence of her friends as she struggled to keep her identity in the midst of her loss.

**----------**

**AN2:** This one went a bit…weird. Blame Ethan's something extra for Buffy's confusion at the end.

Not sure if I got the characterisation right but it struck me that the clash between the memories of a Jedi unaware of what happened at the Jedi Temple and the memories of a girl who'd seen all six films would not be pretty. Besides, I just like the character.

Bariss Offee was a Jedi Knight and Healer of the Old Republic, a couple of years younger than Anakin Skywalker, who was killed at the end of the Clone Wars. I'm not sure if she actually appears in the films but she is in several of the books.


	15. Death of the Endless

Death of the Endless (The Sandman)

**AN:** Sorry for the long wait. Real life got in the way, with a vengeance. Fortunately things have calmed down now, so I _should_ be able to get back to writing more soon. No promises though.

* * *

**Death of the Endless (The Sandman)**

The two girls stared at each other, seemingly unconcerned by the mayhem happening around them. As well they might be. Their duties ensured that this was neither the first nor the last time they had seen such things. And even though they might, under normal circumstances, have been more disturbed by what was going on they had more important things to worry about.

The girls were not identical, not quite. Their clothing was the same, down to the ankh around their necks, and they had the same pale skin and dark hair, the same hairstyle. They even held themselves in the same way. But one was slightly taller than the other, their features slightly different.

"This is new," the taller girl commented. "I'm often in more than one place at once but there have never been two of me before."

The other girl nodded. "Destiny's not going to like this," she commented.

The first girl sighed. "Destiny's had to figure out," she commented. "Maybe this was meant to happen."

"There was meant to be two of us?" the second said scornfully. "You can't just take a mortal and make her one of the Endless."

"Dream did."

"Daniel was born to be Dream, and he only truly became so after Dream died. We're both still here."

"So what do we do?"

"Maybe when it ends things will go back to normal," the shorter girl said hopefully.

"The Endless can't become mortal. At least, not for more than a day. Even Destruction is still Endless, even if he no longer fulfils his duties. But perhaps this situation is different."

While her double was already aware of the permanency of the Endless saying it out loud made things seem more real.

"So I'm stuck like this."

The taller girl shrugged. "I could use the help," she offered.

* * *

**AN:** I'm really not happy with the characterisation here. Death of the Endless is a hard character to get into. Hints to improve this would be welcome.


	16. Sesshoumaru

**AN: **I know, its been _ages_ since I last updated anything. What can I say, the Easter Holidays inspired me. Now if only my muses for my other stories ould stop sulking...

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Buffy, Inuyasha or any other series that may appear within.

**Sesshoumaru (Inuyasha)**

Ethan's eyes gleamed and he suppressed a smirk as he saw which costume that the slayer was currently looking at. He had originally intended to steer her towards an eighteenth century noblewoman's costume, enjoying the thought of the Slayer being helpless when his spell took effect. Unfortunately that dress had been bought by a rather insistent young brunette, despite his best efforts to dissuade her. This, however, might work out even better. Aside from the sheer irony of the Slayer dressing as her natural enemy the destruction that the being in question was bound to cause when their situation became apparent was too much to pass up.

"Ah, a lovely choice," he told the blonde as he walked up to her, smiling in his best friendly manner. "A Japanese noble from the Senjuku era, I believe, approximately five hundred years ago. I can give you an excellent deal on this one. I'll even throw in the accessories for free." He indicated a long white wig, two plastic, but very realistic, swords and a small pad of face paint.

The Slayer frowned. "Are you sure it isn't a boy's costume? I didn't think ladies from that time period wore trousers, or swords."

"Warrior maidens were not unheard of in that region at the time," he replied smoothly, as he cast a minor persuasion spell to encourage her to believe him. It wasn't precisely a lie.

The girl hesitated for a moment, and Ethan thought that he had lost her. Then one of her friends called out to her. "Hey, Buffy. Are you ready to go yet?"

Hazel eyes narrowed. "How much?"

Ethan smiled and named his price. Although less than the costume was actually worth the entertainment value made him willing to take a loss on this one.

* * *

Sesshoumaru was not in a good mood. He had woken from one of his rare slumbers to find himself in a completely familiar area that, while lacking in the raw sewage smell of most human settlements, more than made up for it with the stink of unfamiliar compounds. An area that was also filled with an energy almost as vile as that of the hanyou Naraku.

And his retainer and ward were missing.

On the positive side he now had two arms. Unfortunately, when combined with the facts that he was over a foot shorter, _female_ and contaminated with the rapidly fading stench of humanity it only served to emphasise that this _was not his body!_

It was fortunate, he mused as he flicked his energy whip, that the near mindless oni filling the streets provided him with plenty of targets for stress relief.

"Don't kill them," an urgent voice reminded him.

He suppressed the urge to sneer at his current companion, a redhead who dressed even more disgracefully than the wench who accompanied his half brother. Had she not been a spirit he would have killed her for implying that he might judge his blows so poorly as to kill someone by _accident_. As it was only the fact that she was useful to him prevented him from drawing Tensaiga and banishing her to the underworld.

"Which way," he demanded as the last of the oni fell.

She glanced at him nervously, sensing his annoyance. "The costume shop's that way," she replied hastily, pointing in the appropriate direction.

He strode off, expecting her to follow.

* * *

As the taiyoukai began to smile Ethan suddenly wished that he'd been a little less adventurous when providing the Slayer with a costume.

* * *

Buffy sighed, taking in the white hair, golden eyes and other changes that were left over from earlier that night.

How was she supposed to hide _this_ from her mom? Not only had her appearance changed but she wasn't even _human_ any more.

A small smile, remarkably similar to the one Sesshoumaru had shown when facing Ethan, spread over her face as her hand, now tipped with delicate claws, began to glow a sickly green. On the other hand…Slaying just became a lot easier. After all, she couldn't allow her inferiors to run rampant over _her_ territory.


	17. Hitsugaya Toushiro

**AN:** While I've been thinking about this one for a while the 'Breaking the Fall' series by Jezaeiri (which can be found on Twisting the Hellmouth), coupled with the time of year, inspired me to actually finish writing it.

**Hitsugaya Toushiro (Bleach)**

Buffy cursed as she looked through the costumes that were left, looking for one that would fit her, and hopefully wasn't _too_ embarrassing.

Damn Snyder for making her join this stupid Halloween safety program on her one day off a year. And double damn him for giving her detention when she protested, so that all the good costumes were gone when she got there.

Black, white and green caught her eye and she picked it up, automatically checking the tag for the size. She frowned and then sighed. It would do.

* * *

Buffy subconsciously adjusted the sash holding a plastic sword on her back as she waited for Willow to join her and Xander. A part of her wondered why she couldn't get away from weapons, even pretend ones, for just one night.

"Interesting choice Buffster," Xander commented, looking fairly relaxed in his fatigues.

"It was the only costume left in my size," she admitted grudgingly.

"Ah."

The slayer brightened slightly, remembering her recent conversation with Willow. "Still wait until you see…" The red head appeared at the top of the stairs, not that you could see her hair colour considering her costume. "Casper," she finished disappointedly.

* * *

When the spell rushed over her Buffy crumpled to the ground along with most of the children, her appearance changing as it took effect.

Her hair bleached, going from a clearly artificial blonde to a shining white, and shortened, while her skin lost much of its tan. Features shifted slightly and her figure reverted to that of a girl just entering puberty as she lost several years in age, losing as many inches in height as she did so.

The costume she wore also changed. Subtly on the part of the clothing, now clearly of a better make and material, more drastically on the part of the sword. Rather than a standard plastic children's toy it became an elegant steel katana with a rather unique hilt.

* * *

Hitsugaya Toushiro regained consciousness abruptly, the dark, almost sickly reiatsu surrounding him sending his instincts clamouring. While distinctly different than that of a Hollow, of any type, it was more than enough to bring him to full awareness almost instantly.

The scene that greeted him as he got to his feet was one of chaos. Miniature monsters chased children and the occasional teenager alike, causing rampant destruction as they did so. Meanwhile small pockets of conflict marked where the humans were fighting back. What the…? The last thing he remembered was working in his office.

A slight shift in spiritual pressure alerted him to the immanent attack from behind. The response was instinctive. Turning he shaped his reiatsu and uttered a single word, the incantation unnecessary for such a simple kido.

"Sai!"

Numerous thumps indicated that not only had he hit his target but his spiritual pressure had knocked out most of those in the area. Not necessarily a bad thing. It would certainly cut down on both injuries and property damage and the pressure hadn't been high enough to cause permanent damage.

As he went to move he noticed the body at his feet for the first time, nearly tripping over it. He stared for a moment then shrugged. With all those nearby unconscious the gigai should be safe enough here.

With peace momentarily ensured Hitsugaya jumped onto the nearest rooftop, seeking the high ground to get a better view of the situation. It was only then that he noticed the rather glaring difference in his appearance.

Matsumoto, he decided once he calmed enough to think clearly, must _never_ find out about this.

* * *

Locating the source of the problems had been surprisingly easy, aided by a soul who, given that her soul chain was still intact, had apparently been knocked out of her body by what seemed to be a very strange area effect kido, given that it had also brought him here. At her insistence they had been joined by a teenage soldier with just enough spiritual awareness to see the pair.

"Maybe you should stay back, kid."

Hitsugaya glared at the idiot who dared to comment on his age.

"Right." The soldier shivered as the shinigami captain allowed a tiny portion of his reiatsu to leak out.

"The kido definitely originates from here," Hitsugaya told his two allies, continuing as if never interrupted. "When we enter I will take the lead."

The soldier opened his mouth to protest, only to be silenced before he could start by a sharp, "Unless either of you have any experience with kido?"

The silence was answer enough.

* * *

The hilt of a sword came down on a rather ugly bust, shattering it. Unfortunately for those involved Ethan had never intended for it to come into contact with what was essentially a physical manifestation of the soul.

As a result, while the spell itself was broken, it had certain lingering effects on those closest to the source.

* * *

A chill ran up Giles' spine as his rudimentary magical abilities allowed him to feel the sheer power coming off the small figure in front of him. It took several seconds for him to look past that icy power to see the actual appearance and several more for him to see past the changes and recognise who was in front of him.

Smaller and younger with white hair and intense green eyes but the features were undoubtedly those of…

"Buffy?"

* * *

**AN 2:** Buffy had no idea who or what Hitsugaya was. The costume was just the only one that fit her. She's not going to be happy with the changes.

And no, Hitsugaya wasn't amused when he discovered he was a girl.


	18. Ukitake Juushiro

**Ukitake Juushiro (Bleach)**

**AN:** Inspired by two superb series of Bleach crossovers on Twisting the Hellmouth. The 'Lone Flower series by Vathara and the 'Breaking the Fall' series by Jezaeiri.

* * *

A few weeks ago Snyder had decided to raise some money for the school by auctioning off the theme for the Halloween helper's costumes. Given that she'd had no intention of joining the scheme Buffy had thought nothing of it at the time but now…

"Anime?" she asked in disgust.

"Yeah, you know, Japanese cartoons," Xander offered.

"Brilliant."

Remind her to have a _talk_ with the idiots responsible for this.

* * *

Xander had ended up in charge of choosing their costumes by default, given that neither she nor Willow actually watched the stupid programs.

"No spandex," she told him firmly.

"And no short skirts or schoolgirl uniforms," Willow added, remembering the handful of episodes that Xander and Jesse had persuaded her to watch.

"Spoil my fun," was the predictable grumble, Xander's expression falling slightly in disappointment. Then it lit up again as he spotted a group of costumes near the back of the store. "How about a variation of the traditional ghost theme?" he asked.

The two girls exchanged glances before shrugging in unison.

* * *

Juushiro frowned as he surveyed his surroundings. The last thing he remembered was working in his office, which this was definitely not. Nor, he realised, abruptly, was he in his own body, or rather spirit form.

Dark eyes fell on the unconscious body by his feet, identical to his current form. Surprisingly it was _not_ was a gigai, but clearly human, which meant that the original owner would undoubtedly want it back in one piece.

With that in mind he drew a dispenser of soul candy out of a pocket and placed one in the body's mouth, before ordering the artificial soul to find a safe place to hide.

Then he turned his attention back to the surroundings, noting the chaos in the streets as the miniature demons… _no_…as the children spelled to become demons wreaked havoc. Despite the kido their spiritual pressure was low enough that…

A careful outpouring of reiatsu, controlled so that it didn't get too concentrated, rendered most of those for some distance around unconscious. They would doubtlessly wake with headaches but that was far better than the deaths that might otherwise occur.

He brushed against the edges of two other reiatsu clouds, their owners obviously having had the same idea as him. The first was almost as familiar as his own, the second nearly so.

Smiling slightly, he paused to wait.

* * *

The moment he got close enough to see him clearly Shunsui broke out into laughter. "S…Shiro-chan?"

"Oh dear," Unohana added, approaching from the opposite direction.

"Shiro-chan's a _girl!_" Shunsui spluttered out between giggles.

Juushiro sighed. Despite the different appearance Shunsui was instantly recognisable from body language alone. Equally recognisable was the expression on the normally calm Unohana-taicho's face, one that women wore all too often around his best friend.

"And what is wrong with being female?" the Fourth Division Captain asked warningly.

"It's _Shiro!_"

"Perhaps we should find the source of the kido?" Juushiro suggested diplomatically, ignoring the almost hysterical laughter of his best friend.

"An excellent idea, Ukitake-taicho," Unohana-san replied with somewhat forced calm.

* * *

Juushiro stifled a cough as he jumped from roof to roof alongside the other two captains.

Not now, please… He'd begun to feel ill several hours before, but he'd held out hopes that he would last out the day before succumbing.

He paused, struggling to breathe. The additional exertion must have pushed him over the edge. This was the worst possible time for a flare up.

Shunsui was the first to notice him falter, although Unohana-san was only a step behind. They turned back just in time to see him begin to cough.

"Shiro!"

Then Shunsui was there supporting him as he covered his mouth with an ever present handkerchief, all too aware that the pristine white cloth would shortly be speckled with blood.

The warmth of Unohana's healing kido spread through him as the Fourth Division Taicho did her best to still the spasms.

"You should have come to me earlier," she scolded. "I might have been able to prevent the attack."

"I thought I had more time," Shiro explained between coughs. "I didn't expect this to happen."

"You know better than that, Ukitake-taicho," Unohana replied, as she motioned for Shunsui to help him sit.

Juushiro shook his head, pulling away from his friend's support.

"Breaking the kido now would let us get back to Soul Society more quickly," Shunsui said reluctantly, knowing from long familiarity what his friend wanted to say.

Unohana cast a worried glance at the Thirteenth Division Captain. "Fine," she agreed. "But I want you in Fourth for observation when we get home. And no fighting."

* * *

Buffy groaned as she woke, nearly falling out of the tree that the artificial soul had felt was a 'safe place to hide'. Almost absently she caught the soul candy before it could fall, placing it in one of the pockets of her hakama.

Jumping to the ground she barely had time to notice her friends' approach before she was racked by what new/old memories told her was an all too familiar weakness and shortness of breath. Xander and Willow exchanged worried glances as she began to cough.


	19. Romanadvoratrelundar

**Romanadvoratrelundar (Dr Who)**

Romana frowned as she felt the local timelines, trying to pinpoint her location. Earth...North America...1997. No 1998.

How in the name of Rassilon had she ended up here? And for that matter, what was she wearing? She hadn't worn a school uniform since she was travelling with the Doctor.

And her senses were going crazy. There was a rift here, one of the largest she'd ever encountered, but it felt...strange. There was a second component... A dimensional rift perhaps?

Was this another trick of the Daleks? If so, how had they reached her through the shields that protected Gallifrey?

* * *

She reluctantly admitted to being rather impressed. Personality transference was not unheard of but to simultaneously transform the bodies of those affected...that was on par with Time Lord technology.

_Perhaps even greater,_ a treacherous part of her mind muttered. The chameleon arch worked on similar principles but the sheer scale of this...

_No,_ she told herself firmly. _We could do this, we just don't _need_ to. We barely need to use the chameleon arch._

She needed to concentrate on shutting this down at its source.

* * *

"Her skin feels really cold," Willow said worriedly.

Had she had concentration to spare Buffy could have told her friend that a Time Lord's normal body temperature was significantly lower than a human's. In the weeks to come she would spend a lot of time explaining about her changed physiology as well as the memories that came with it.

Right now, however, she was more concerned with figuring out how to deal with senses that she'd never had before. Between multiplying timelines and the motion of the planet she was feeling rather ill.


	20. Uchiha Itachi

**AN:** Since I forgot to apologise for the long wait in the previous chapter here's a bonus for all those who kept this fic on their alerts even though they waited a year and a half for it to be updated. I had intended to wait for later but...

* * *

**Uchiha Itachi (Naruto)**

"Let's make things a little more interesting," Snyder said, smirking. "I expect your costumes to be on the same theme."

Buffy exchanged apprehensive glances with Xander and Willow.

* * *

Pooling their money produced a grand total of fifty-three dollars and seventeen cents. That amount of money left their choices of costume rather limited, given the need to buy three of them.

Buffy's idea of period costume was right out, and while Xander had spare combat fatigues the shop had run out of toy guns. Willow's suggestion of ghost costumes was immediately shot down.

In the end they found only one set of costumes that they could agree on in their price range – and that only because the shop owner gave them a discount.

* * *

Red eyes surveyed his surroundings, the black tomoe within them swirling slightly as their owner attempted to make sense of the situation.

His first instinct had been that he was under a genjutsu – the discovery that he was currently female simply a particularly warped twist to it. However if he was it was one of the most powerful he had ever encountered – every technique he knew, including the use of his mangekyou sharingan, failed to even make it waver slightly.

Before he could decide on a course of action he was soon joined by Karin and Deidera, their appearances also changed, although both were the correct gender.

"You're a girl, un," Deidera stated. While not even in the same league as Madara's 'Tobi' alias the blonde had an annoyance factor all of his own.

"Hn."

"A genjutsu?" Karin asked.

"It remains resistant to all known counters," Itachi replied. "However there is a significant concentration of chakra to the south-east."

"Then we destroy it, un."

The other two exchange glances before roof-hopping in the indicated direction. While there was no guarantee that what they were sensing was real it was better than doing nothing.

* * *

Itachi was mildly disturbed to see the clothing of the remaining Akatsuki members hanging in the building they entered. While he disliked his 'comrades' he had respect for their abilities. Very few shinobi could defeat one of them, let alone six.

The shopkeeper, a civilian with surprisingly little chakra given the amount they had felt coming from the building, paled as they entered.

"How do you break the jutsu?" he asked, sharingan spinning faster as he prepared to use his mangekyou at the least bit of prevarication.

"I would answer, un," Deidera said cheerfully. "I always like the chance to practice my art, un."

A clay butterfly fluttered from his hand to land on 'Tobi's' empty uniform before detonating, sending scraps of cloth across the room.

"Th...The back room. Break the statue."

Karin moved past without a word.

* * *

Buffy woke abruptly, stifling her scream with instincts not her own.

While Xander and Willow had been fortunate to inherit Deidera and Karin's abilities and skills without being cursed with the memories of obtaining those skills she hadn't been so fortunate. Giles theorised that the increased retention of memory was due to her being the Slayer. Buffy suspected that the sharingan was a more likely culprit.

In some ways she _had_ been lucky. She had Itachi's chakra reserves and physical capabilities along with his sharingan, even his mangekyou sharingan. And while her eyesight would undoubtedly deteriorate were she to use the mangekyou she _wasn't_ near blind, as he was becoming in his latest memories. Nor had she been cursed with his illness.

Unfortunately she _did_ remember _everything_ that he had done, and Itachi was damn near suicidal for a reason. She hadn't had a decent night's sleep since Halloween.


End file.
